Robex Lundgren virkblogg.

Have any of you played in other bands? Yes, we all played in various rock n' roll, punk rock and garage bands.

How is it that you started playing music? I can not answer for the other members of the band, but, for me, I always wanted to create and be on stage. I loved singing and when I was in high school, I met musicians. So music was the way…

What are your names? / Who plays what? / How old are you? We are four. Hervé Gusmini on the drums, Chris Verrecchia on the bass, Bruno Labbé on the guitar and I, Eric Colère, the singer. We're all between 40 and 50.

Where are you from? We're all from Paris and its surroundings.

What year did the band form? We created Vellocet in 1996.

What's your style of genre? We don't like “boxes” very much. Some people list us as a Stoner band. For some others, we play Hard-Rock or Metal. But, at the end, we're just a rock n' roll band…

What are your songs about? What inspires you? Everything actually: life, death, love, hunger, lost illusions, drowned dreams… The important thing is the emotion you can share.

How often and where do you rehearse? We have our own rehearsal space and we work as often as we can.

How have you developed since you started with the music? What advice would you give other bands or artists? After all these years, we learned one big truth: never lie to yourself! Don't try to do “something that's going to work out”. That's the best way to fail and loose your soul. Success is more a matter of opportunities than talent. Just do what you please, be real and sincere. Give your all, work and work again, don't turn bitter, have fun, take what's coming and never give up. That's what being rock n' roll is!

Do you have other interests of work outside the band? We're interested in every kind of artistic expression: painting, cinema, literature, poetry, photography, theater, street art… But rest assured: we also love fast cars, big bikes, good food, great wines and pretty girls!

Are you looking for a booking agency, and what are your thoughts around that? I'm not sure what you mean by a “booking agency”… If you mean a touring agency, yes, that's definitely a plus, but you know, here in France, there is a kind of “vicious circle”: to find a touring agency, you need a label or, at least, a distributor. When you're independent and self-produced, that's really tough. You have to do everything by yourself. Find your audience, build your own network, create links with other bands… It requires a lot of energy and work, but there's no point in sitting around and complaining: that's how it goes, that's all.

Are you looking for a label, and what are your thoughts around that? If a label is interested, that will obviously be a good thing, but we're not waiting for that. France is a small market with low profit opportunities. French rock labels are mostly small structures with limited means. When they manage to produce groups, they find it increasingly difficult to promote them. It surely opens doors and gives visibility but it is not because you are signed by a label that everything becomes easy and that you can just “play music and live quiet”.

What made you decide to make this music? You don't “decide” to play rock n' roll. You don't “choose”. Rock n' roll chooses you!

Who does the composing and writes the lyrics? We all compose, even if Hervé and Christian are the most “productive”. I write almost all the lyrics but we share a lot about the texts, looking for the good word, the one that sounds the best.

Do you start with the music or the lyrics? It depends, there is no rules. Sometimes we have a text that fits perfectly with the music, sometimes we have to write the lyrics according to the singing line.

Do you compose in a certain environment? No: it comes when it comes.

Have you done any covers live? Yes we did some: Feel Good Hit Of The Summer (Queens of the Stone Age), I Wanna Be Your Dog (The Stooges), Johnny B. Goode (Chuck Berry), Cream (Prince), Bomber (Motorhead)…

What language do you sing in? We write and sing in French, except on the last album (Behind The Black Door, available on Deezer, Spotify, Itunes…), on which half of the titles are in English. We wanted to experiment with new sounds, change colors, reach a non-francophone audience, that kind of stuff. But I think that was a one shot.

What are the least and most people to attend one of your gigs? We have a kind of reputation in the world of bikers. It's a very loyal and warm audience. When they like you of course, otherwise it's more… complicated.

What ages are most of your concert attendants? About 80 I guess… No, I'm kidding: we've always had a very varied audience, from teenagers to old “god damn” rockers.

Do you always play the same songs live, or do you vary? We have some tunes we play each time for our fans. For the rest, it depends where we play. And we always have some new songs we want to test on stage.

Have you had to cancel a gig? Never. I knock on wood. 

What do you want to tell them? If you can have something for free or cheap, you really have to be nuts to pay for it at the full price. It's just a new way to "consume" music. It's up to artists and labels to adapt and propose something else. Some do it yet. But I think it's a little bit different for the rock n' roll audience: the fans remain very attached to the record as object. For example, for different reasons, our last album was not pressed, we only broadcast it on streaming platforms, and a lot of people asked us how to get the “real” CD. And, after gigs, that's what we – and most of the bands we know – sell the most: CD's. So I can already tell you: our next album will be pressed.

What do you think of my work? It's essential for bands like us that there are people like you who are interested in our work, give us visibility and allow us to express ourselves. It's really valuable. Thank's for that. 

Is it easier to find inspiration from older bands, or bands that are more active today? Inspiration is a capricious mistress: it comes and goes. It not depends on what you're listening I think. It's just a matter of state of mind: you're ready to welcome it or not.

Do you have any new material? We're working on a new album which will come out this year. How can people reach you? By Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vellocet.2015/

What are your plans for the future? Just keep on rocking.

Do you have something to add? Happy fucking new year to everybody. Have fun and enjoy life: it's always too short.